Rail-joint.



G. C. HAGER.

.RAIL JOINT. APPL'IGATION HLBDIBB. 15, 191,3.

` .Patented Aug.19,1913.A

WITNESSES:

ww/'MWL I l A ATTORNEY GEORGE c. HAGER, or DANBURY, CONNECTICUT.

RAIL-JOINT.

specification of Letters raient;l `l

Patented Aug'. 19, 1913.

Application ined rebruy" i5, isis.A serial No. 748,573.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, GEORGE C. HAGER, a citizen of the'United States, residingat Danbury, county of F airfield, State of Con necticut, have invented an Improvement in Rail- Joints, of which the following is a' specification.

This invention has for its object to provide. an improved rail joint for use in connecting -tlie rails of a railway, which will avoid the use of fish plates, provide a joint as firm and strong as the rails themselves,

and positively insure the proper alinement ofl the rails under all circumstances, and also'to provide a rail joint of this character which will be simple and inexpensive to manufacture, and in which the desired joining of the rails may be easily and quicklyI eected.

With these and other objects in view I have devised the novel rail joint which I will now describe, reference being had to the accompan ing drawings forming a part'of this speci cation, and in which:

Figure 1 is a plan and Fig. 2 a side elevation of the rail joint as in use; Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line 3 3, Fi

2; Fig. '1 is a side elevation of the left rail head detached; Figs. 5 and 6 are vertical transverse sections on lines 5-5 and 6 6, respectively, Fig. 2; Fig. 7 is a vertical transverse section on the line 7-7, Fig. 4.

. the web, and 12 the tread or Each end of each rail is provided with a portion which overlaps with the portion of the contiguous rail. These portions are identical with the exception that theyare respectively rights and lefts. For convenience of desc i tion the lefthead is desig.

the right head by B.

nated by A an thev base or lower iiange, 11

10 denotes of an ordinary rail, v'Each 'ra' ortion is is adapted 'to receive the complementary half j cut away on a central',verti cal, ongitudig nal plane, leaving a vertical'half rail portion indicated by` 13,` on one side,y and a corresponding recess on the other side which rail portion of the conti nous rail. Beyond the half rail portion eac web is formed at its extreme end with a supporting projection 15 which lies in a lateral recess 14,'

formed in the Web of the contiguous rail in the rear of the extension thereof, and fills the space between the upper and lower flanges of said rail.' The we of the'extensions-is thickened so thatthe 'outer lfaces of u per flange the half rails and Supporting projections are flush withthe outer edges of the tread oi' upper flange 12, so that the combined trans verse thickness of the two webs at and beyond the joint is the full thickness of the tread, thus giving a maximum of strength and rigidity at the points Where it is most' required. This strength and rigidity is further enhanced by reason of the fact that v`the supporting projections 15 occupy reeoA cesscs within the Webs of the opposin rails j and engage the upper and lower anges thereof, therebyV providing a substantially central supporty for holding the rails in alinement both vertically and horizontally. For convenience in'manufacture the ends of the projections 15 are beveled, as shown at 16, while the inner ends of the recesses 14 are correspondingly beveled, the recesses for accommodating the opposing half rails and supporting projections and the thickening of the web being, in effect, produced by offsetting the web at an inclination, as indicated at 17 in Fig. 3. This construfetioii eliminates the necessityv of providing any sharp interior or re'e'ntrant angles requiring expensive machining in this part of. the joint.

In practice three bolts only are used at each joint although more may be used if preferred.

18 denotes a central bolt which passes through transverse openings 19' in the half rails at their midlength, and 20 denotes end bolts which'.` ass through transverse openin s 21 in t e projections 15.and inthe thickened ortions of the web. The openings 19 an 21 arefelongated or made in the form of short slots as shown most clearly in Fig. 4. The bolts 18 and 20 comprise cylindrical end portions 22 threaded to receive nuts 23, and laterally elongated or offset porlos and 20 lying in copper wire passing loosely through cent-rally enlarged chambers formed by suitably flared, coinciding openings 27 in the half rails, the conductors being headed at their ends as at 28. The speciic form of the bond, however, forms no part of the present invention, andwhere an electric bond is employed at all it riiay be of any suitable form.

To, prevent creeping of the rails, I provide holes 29 at convenientiintervals in the rail bases and secure the rails to the ties with bolts, lag-screws or other fastening devices inserted in the holes and screwed into the ties.

`Having thus described my invention, I claim:-

l AI rail joint comprising overlapping rail ends', each,- including a vertical half rail portion andprovided with a plurality of elongated openings therethrough normally regthrough and engaging one end of the elon' gated. opening in the adjacent rail end, and

nuts on the exterior of the threaded portion, said bolts being alternately inserted from opposite sides with the olf-set portions engaging opposite ends of the elongated openings in each series.

In testimony whereof I aIiX signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE C. HAGER.

Witnesses:

S. W. ATHERTON, EULA M. Cnnvnn.l

lcopie-.s e1!.this"patent"may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner 'd'fftnisf- Washington, D. C. 

